FIRST STEPS IN FRUIT-GROWING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 409, 19 January 1909, Page 2

FIRST STEPS IN FRUIT-GROWING.

SITE, SOIL, AND DRAINAGE. • ESSENTIALS TO PROFIT. Inexperienced young people who may , lw contemplating-aplunge' into the" pleasant and sometimes. profitable --business.ot fruit-grow- ' .tog will do well to avoid.somo. very; common pitfalls. Precipices and Broken Hearts. Firstly, shun, the steep hills. ."When prpv pejty-owners and estate agents say that-cer-tain precipitous, , country is ;, "admirably ;■ adapted - for fruit-growing"—pass by. on tho -." other side. They are dangerous men. If - you are tired-of life, and want to die early of a broken heart,-place yourself unreservedly, into their hands, pay down your money for the proud privilege of being the freeholder ,of part of'tlie mountain system of. New Zea-, land, and plant fruit trees'. .'Your heart will sooti be shattered.' A steep hillside cannot be conveniently ploughed and .harrowed. These are leading factors in successful fruitgrowing. Audeven if or.o mastered tho difficulties of cultivation with tremendous effort, the first heavy ktorm of rain would make playful furrows from top to bottom and wash away the valuable mellow.; surface soil, ex-, humc the. roots; .: and .'make woeful havoc of the landscape. This can be prevented to somo extent by a plentiful , system of open ditclies to catch the descending torrents, and conduct them ; decorously to- the base. But so can all'difficulties be surmounted. .. ..!. : The Fiery Courage of Townsmen. . ' ; But why . should'any man—particularly, the - . inexpert beginner—sally forth to seek difficul-: tios —difficulties that even' the. experienced; men, with, their. much greater resourcefulness, avoid. One does not overlook.the fact.: that young townsmen ,of the sort who. march ' forth,'. with some: great: mysterious. impulse, t6 till the soil, are usually full of. courageous.-, enthusiasm,.afire with ,;a longing to remove , obstacles: v Well,: one;has' no objection. This : article- has ; 'already . pointed out one way of gratifying that, desire. "' . A Cupful of Millstones. .. . :• • Ordinary - orcharding under favourable diffi-'; cultios affords pleniy of difficulties; to ; be; sur- . mounted. There are in some districts frosts . ; to be", dispelled at "peep o' dayi"v pests ; to'.'. '•ha wrestled with eacli year, varieties to bo chosen and ■ changed, markets to be -ivatched, - ahd-the inborn propensity/of human labourers - to err to "be borne in patience V These should satisfy - the ordinary : Sam. .'Welter anywhere/;" But 'for-tlie -man. of special;'tastes in this', matter the steep hillside ■ can be confidently;'. recommended.' It will make his legs,ache to.I .perfection whil'o • planting out the : trees, ;it. will,"facilitate' .the. constant exposure of .roots tlirough the slipping downhill of the ploughed;: furrow, 1 it Trill.; invite; the hurricane to per-" form handsome execution among tho trees', . tearing: off : limbs and making; whole . trees to topple over, and. always reducing the fear of.' a glut .in .the'fruit:, market-; it- will..enable the scouring away' of the; loose surface, soil •: to follow: each storm w'ith'grhtifjing regular-..; ity, ;and rit -.wiir ceftainly .save tn'e: "Owner:, from relapsing too soon into tho deplorable ranks of tlie newly'rich. ; On the Whole, to the man - v'lio is / Ipoking'.'for.! riiUtones' to'. hang around hi;; iicc'k, st-eep liillsido lruitgrowirig >. will supply : them' in :brim-high cup- ? fuls. : v' : Illusory Virtues. It is said-sometimes that hillsides are-best because, they drain themselves; But - it 'is ■ easier ;to; drain, a flat than to remove-the vices of .a; hillside. .Or; : it .'is ' said-" th'at.a:; northerly hillside catches the viUn/ CButron^; a well-drained, all" "the fruit ripens: 'what more does oneAYant? 'In.: asilmnier of drought, the scorching 6un and: dessicatiiig. .winds-, can' be overdone ofl. hill-; sides, particularly on the unabiorbent; rot-ten-rock, formation of; the liillß around Wellingtoii. The -evils of hill-orcharding"can -tie": . modified—by' irrigation, by . 'storln'' ditches,by shelter trees, by . spade work.; - Btit while 'bis;' is fighting- obstacles for. a; pittance ori a;. five-acre bit of hillside. ;he; could,' ivitli -tho ' sanio' l effort,- be. building - up. a" handsonfe ' unity- on '20'. acres'>'of a At-elMriiined Hilly usually' rnuch;cb"eape~r;thah land" v which : is .level, :but; the' level..sort will give: ; much.', more profit and: pleasure..per.;acre; The Drainage Trouble. . The fear; of getting soil waterlogged often causes persons;to look with : anxiety."at land ; that' is*-flat.';" Stagnant .water-will ruinlany; orchard: But so long as 'an outfall-'is-,:ob- : tamable;- drainage offers;.no difficultiesi-.The're' is pipe draining, or mole-plough draining,-- ' or'open .'ditches,. or some of the'cruder forms .of closed drains to*be chosen from,;:and_ any- " drain that carries away .-.the water; quickly will'suit;'-'Agricultural drain pipes cost;per' 100 feet' 15s. (3-inch) and £1 (4-inch). There is considerable expense involved in.the open-, ing and closing ot tho trenches in which the pipes ire to be laid, and,-on that - account there would ; a great temptation to lay down fewer drains than would be desirable,. -'-A good : effective distance would be a drain to every ten or twelve yards, and tho cost for the pipes, would be .about £10-per. acre. If Tile Drains are Too Costly. l , ...... ; Instead 'of pipes, it is cheaper to us» ; stones or . brushwood, but the expense ot ' opening the-trenches is just, as; great, and: ■ the result is less satisfactory. • Another mode'of draining is'to opon a few yards:of . the trench, then lay a - smooth- round _.sleii-. der post in the, bottom of the .trench,'; fill . the soil .in over it, hammering it-down,; and •finally drag- the post along in. the trench,to .be again similarly ;covered.;. This , leaver; a channel of hammered soil, and is said to do good work.for a number of years. It; is. suitable for clay soil, but oil sandy soil tnw; sides, of ihe, channel .would soon "Crumble jn. Best Drain of All. 'The same effect, with shallower, drains,, can '• bs got-by the. use:of the ; : mole .. draining plough, and this implement, dispenses with the opening of trenches.''lt is the best, of all methods of draining, and costs only about £1 per "acre; Its action is well, known- to farm--1 ers' but in this article, . intended ' for beV 1 gin'ners. it may fittingly, be.described.The "mole a short jiece of .pointed steel, is ■ fixed at tho bottom of a'powerful; sharp skeath attached to the beam of the plough. When the plough begins to work, - the mole . penetrates the ground to a depth of .about. 18 or 20 inches, and itlieve proceeds along, 'boring, as it goes, a channel in tho. soil. ■.This channel,; owing, to the pressure .exerted on its sides, retains its shapb- ; for a, good many years, if in soil that.is not of.a loose nature. -The skeatli ; also- cuts a slit-, in,tho i S oil, but this closes iip.; The mole channels: are small,: but owing to the cheapness of construction they can; be constructed very closely ' together, and-tliey, do very cffectivo work. .'L'hey arc sometimes ..credited with having the '. power of a syphon to draw water over a rise. 1 ..The drawing of the molo plough'.invblves very powerful horse-power, or and it .is usually done, by, contractors' who, bring im-, plement and horses, .and charge: at a rate per ' mile of drain. The great' weakness of mole drains is their nearness to the.: surface. ' There are people who sometimes, say:that,a s drain draws the water up from below. This,--of courscj -is absurd. - If level land, relies for its drainage on drains 18 inches .below'tl»' surface, the trees are. liable to have: wet 1 feet" below that depth. There is.-scope for somebody to invent a mole draining plough that will work-at a depth of three ieet ,without breaking itself or its. horses The.mole, drains are usually connected with each other ' bv cross mole drains. These are; constructed fil'st, and, those, which .have the greatest, fall Me made afterwards. v : A Compromise. Fruit trees will root to a depth of ten or twentv. feet with advantage to the' trees, if the soil: be sweet and: not too wet. For tins reason a compromise between -hillside and • dead level is desirable. The compromise, however, must not involve a sacrifice of con-, • venienco in ploughing, a'vev.v little.fall being enou"h for tho purpose. Evenness of surface , is also 'important]i-aijd; contributes; to that neatness of work which gives, so .much pleasure to; any-;on nor. , . " . ' (To'be. continued.)'